I am a tactical captain.
I was planning to go escort.
However when looking at end game ships,
Cruisers have 39k hull which is 9k more than escorts also they have 1k crew which is 800 more than escort...While they move slower I am starting to wonder if cruisers are better for combat?

Can't you go escort now and then switch to cruiser at a later rank? I like the Lieutenant Commander cruisers, (I currently have one with my engineering character) but I'm looking forward to the later cruisers. In fact, I almost wish I'd gone escort for my Lieutenant Commander ship. Escorts have weaker hulls but better turn rates and you can equip pulse phaser weapons on them. Pulse phaser weapons have narrow firing arcs but they significantly shorten a battle (I have some on my Light Cruiser for my science lieutenant character.)

I prefer escorts simply because of the fact that they are much more maneuverable than a cruiser, and as such can much more effectively bring to bear the weapons which have a small firing arc. It's true that they have less survivability than a cruiser, but not as much as you'd think, due to you as a tac not having access to the top end engineering captain skills. Escorts have fierce burst damage and the ability to move in and out of combat much easier than cruisers, which means once you get the hang of them, you will be getting shot at far less than you would with a cruiser, so the lower hull is less of a detriment. Add into that the fact that you will be killing things on average about 30% faster (anecdotal by my own experience) further offsets the lower hull points as well.

Basically though it comes down to play style, if you prefer the "stand your ground" method, you will need a cruiser, because until you get the high end gear, escorts just are suitable for this, and even when you have that gear, it's still razor's edge in those situations. If you prefer the "hit and run' method, use an escort. Keep in mind they were designed for using this method, and this is where an escort shines.

Can't you go escort now and then switch to cruiser at a later rank? I like the Lieutenant Commander cruisers, (I currently have one with my engineering character) but I'm looking forward to the later cruisers. In fact, I almost wish I'd gone escort for my Lieutenant Commander ship. Escorts have weaker hulls but better turn rates and you can equip pulse phaser weapons on them. Pulse phaser weapons have narrow firing arcs but they significantly shorten a battle (I have some on my Light Cruiser for my science lieutenant character.)

I can't due to "Heavy Escort Captain" 50% of that carries on.
If I go with cruiser I would do "Heavy Cruiser Captain"...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justice_Omega

I prefer escorts simply because of the fact that they are much more maneuverable than a cruiser, and as such can much more effectively bring to bear the weapons which have a small firing arc. It's true that they have less survivability than a cruiser, but not as much as you'd think, due to you as a tac not having access to the top end engineering captain skills. Escorts have fierce burst damage and the ability to move in and out of combat much easier than cruisers, which means once you get the hang of them, you will be getting shot at far less than you would with a cruiser, so the lower hull is less of a detriment. Add into that the fact that you will be killing things on average about 30% faster (anecdotal by my own experience) further offsets the lower hull points as well.

Basically though it comes down to play style, if you prefer the "stand your ground" method, you will need a cruiser, because until you get the high end gear, escorts just are suitable for this, and even when you have that gear, it's still razor's edge in those situations. If you prefer the "hit and run' method, use an escort. Keep in mind they were designed for using this method, and this is where an escort shines.

Thanks...
I will stick with escorts
I don't like slow boring combat...
Sounds like escort will provide me with some more fast paced action...

As a tac captain, the best cruiser you can go for is the Retrofit Excelsior. Lt. Cmdr tactical boff + highest turn rate of any cruiser in the game makes it pretty lethal in tha hands of a tactical captain.

My suggestion is to play around with ships on Tribble. See which ship fits your playstyle the best. If you like zipping around, Escorts. If you like to give up some turn rate for a better hull strength, healing and crew, go Excelsior. If your really sneaky, try one of the science ships (maybe not Neb').

Fleet Escort is actually an effective Tank/DPS hybrid if there ever was one in game.

Excelsiors and Galaxy-X are both lethal in the hands of a (competent) Tactical Officer. I'd steer clear of Star Cruisers as a Tactical personally however... Good ships, but there are better for you as the game's "DPS" profession. Better suited as an Engineer.

Depends on playstyle. Remember one fundamental thing above ANYTHING any of these other Captains try to tell you...

The ship doesn't make the captain. The captain makes the ship.

That said... choose what fits your style and roll with it. This game offers a tremendous amount of customization.